Boombox Breakdown: 11 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Tested

Sub Title: Boombox Breakdown: 11 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Tested

Who doesn't love the Jambox? Very few people, it seems — ever since the battery-powered boombox arrived in late 2010, it's been a huge, huge seller. It's a current Wired Top 3 pick, and it won our "Gear of the Year" distinction two years in a row. So of course, there's a flood of wannabes, the vast majority of which are only so-so. Most beat the Jambox on price (not difficult at $200) and a few beat it on sound quality. (It is not the subject of audiophile lust.) But none have been able to beat Jawbone's cash cow on pure mojo — its mix of portability, battery life, signal stability, and party-lovin' funkiness.

Here are 11 contenders for the wireless speaker crown. We looked at speakers that closely emulate Jawbone's design, and we looked at some totally different specimens — waterproof speakers, ruggedized speakers, and speakers you can clamp to your bike. All of them are battery powered, travel well, and pair with your phone over Bluetooth.

UE Logitech Mobile Boombox

If you're looking for something that closely matches the Jambox in portability and sound, but costs substantially less, the $100 Logitech UE Mobile Boombox is the device I'd recommend. It's my favorite of all the mobile speakers we tested here.

Ultimate Ears made its name designing fancy high-end earphones and custom in-ear monitors for musicians and audiophiles. Then the company was acquired by Logitech in 2008. Since then, the innovation around earphones has continued (especially with this year's excellent Logitech UE 900s) but the company has also been branching out and bringing its extensive audio expertise into less-fancy areas. One of the most successful products is this one, a tiny speaker that sounds great, has an attractive design, and has a long-lasting battery (around nine hours in my tests) that charges over USB.

Of all the speakers in our round-up, the Logitech UE is the one that comes closest to matching the Jambox — not just in cool, but in functionality. Bluetooth pairing is easy, and the thing doubles as a speakerphone, so you can use it to take calls. The sound is great — a pair of 1-inch drivers are hidden under that grill, and while they certainly won't blow your hair back, they are plenty loud. The audio stays remarkably clear when you turn it up, and there's a slim bass port in the back to help control the low-end performance. I really wasn't expecting much as far as sound quality when I first saw how exceedingly small this thing is, but after using it for a couple of weekends in a hotel room and on my back deck, I'm sold.

WIRED Great sound for the size — dual 1-inch drivers inside this tiny box get mighty loud without getting too muddy. Rubberized outer shell helps it stay put during playback, and you can pick from an array of colors. Works as a speakerphone. Battery charges over USB and lasts nine hours. Easy to pair. A value at $100.

TIRED Not much bass to speak of. Same with stereo separation. Logitech claims a 50-foot wireless range, but it's closer to about 20.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

JBL Flip & Micro Wireless

The biggest thing JBL's Flip speaker ($100) has going for it is the sound — it's marvelous. With dual 5-watt amps powering a pair of 40mm drivers, the Flip is the best-sounding speaker box in our roundup. Even from across the room, the speaker is present and crystal-clear in ways other compact Bluetooth units can't approach. It earns our recommendation for people who put sound at the top of the list and don't care as much about portability.

It gets knocked for portability for a few reasons. Most importantly, the battery lasted only a hair over four hours in my tests. JBL claims five hours, which is still paltry. To make it worse, it's not USB rechargeable — instead, JBL gives you a clunky, wall-wart-style AC adapter. The speaker comes with a nice little padded case, but there's no place to pack the charger, so I ended up fastening the wall wart to the speaker with a rubber band when I traveled with it. Hardly elegant, and a bit of improv that would be rendered unnecessary if there were some way to make the battery last longer.

Another gripe: The speaker is almost entirely cylindrical, and the footprint is tiny, so it tips and rolls forward if you don't set it down carefully. You can't stand it on its end like a soda can — because the ends aren't flat, the Flip lists like some po-mo Tower of Pisa, and the vibrations from the speakers will move it enough to cause it to tip over. Sure, I'm being picky here, but the rest of the options I tested are comparatively foolproof when it comes to, uh, placing them on a table.

JBL also makes a smaller speaker, the Micro Wireless, a $60 single-driver unit. It's mono, and not as powerful or as sweet-sounding as the Flip, but it's much more portable and charges over USB. It also has a built-in mini-plug cable that stows away inside the puck-shaped body, which is useful for repurposing an old, non-Bluetooth iPod as a tiny stereo in a tiny room (like the bathroom).

WIRED The Flip sounds awesome for a $100 compact speaker — loud, with lots of clarity and punch. Some signal processing is used to sweeten the audio, but it never sounded unnatural. Doubles as a speakerphone. Nice-looking.

TIRED Disappointing battery life. Old-school charger is a bummer. Rolls or tips over if you don't pay close attention to how you put it down. Pairing isn't as smooth as it should be.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

TDK Wireless Weatherproof Speaker

After decades of being known as "the cassette tape people," TDK started widening its horizons last year by putting out some very nice-looking boomboxes, headphones and other "lifestyle" audio products.

Next up for TDK is this brick-like weatherproof speaker ($200). It's the biggest Bluetooth speaker in our round-up (almost a foot long), and it sounds like it. It's actually a full 2.1 array: two front-facing 1.5-inch main drivers powered by dual 3-watt amps, a pair of 3-inch passive radiators in the back, and a small subwoofer with its own 9-watt amp. That subwoofer really kicks — the volume and presence of the bass is impressive, but clarity and detail suffer a bit. Overall, the speaker box has a tendency to sound too boomy. However, it sounds much better in the outdoors, and that's where it's really meant to shine, given the ruggedized, weatherproof case. There are tiny rubber doors covering all the ports, and there's a rubber ring that runs all the way around the speaker box to keep moisture out if you set it down on a wet table. It's splash-proof, but not waterproof — it won't survive a dunk in the pool, but you won't have to worry if you plunk it near the lip of the jacuzzi.

Like most of the other speakers we tested, it doubles as a speakerphone and it's easy to pair to different Bluetooth devices. It doesn't charge over USB, but it comes with an AC adapter for juicing it up. It's not as infuriating to be forced to use the bulky AC charger with the TDK — it's already rather big and heavy, and not something I can see throwing into my backpack or carry-on bag. So it's portable, but not take-it-everywhere portable. The battery lasts over six hours, which isn't that bad considering the size and power of the speaker.

WIRED Big, meaty sound. IP64 certified splash-proof design is great for the pool party. A little kickstand on the bottom lets you tip it back. Battery is rated for six hours, but lasted longer in our tests.

TIRED Low end is muddy. You can boost-charge a phone or iPod by plugging it into the speaker's on-board USB port, but it only works when the speaker's AC charger is connected. Heavy, not super-portable.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Philips Shoqbox SB7300

Philips has packed four drivers inside the aluminum casing of its Shoqbox ($190). It feels heavier, more rugged, and more substantial overall than most of the speakers in the sub-$200 range. Also, I should note the company also makes a rubber-coated, less-powerful, splash-proof version of the Shoqbox ($170), though I only tested its sleeker and more austere sibling.

It knows a few neat tricks. First, it works just fine on its own as a stereo speaker, but you can also pair two Shoqboxen to run as a stereo rig. Second, it has what Philips calls a "Smart Sensor," a shiny chip of plastic at the top edge — wave your hand over it to advance through tracks or pause the music. I got it to work flawlessly, but only after some practice. Lastly, the USB charging port is hidden under a rubber flap at one end. That rubber flap doubles as a foot when you tip it up to stand like a tower. It does a good job of isolating the vibrations, and the Shoqbox barely moves around on the table when you crank up the volume.

However, I think the speaker sounds better if you don't crank it up. Audio performance is fine overall; compared to the Jambox, it's much louder, and the sound is crisper and more clear. However, the volume and high-end detail come at a price. The Shoqbox's speakers distort more easily than most when playing music with extreme bass or treble, like aggressive electronic music and really angry stuff like metal. It sounds much better (and is still quite loud) with the volume set to about 60 percent. And of course, more nuanced recordings, like 1970s rock and classic-era Blue Note jazz, yielded better results.

Battery life is exemplary — over eight hours is my tests — and it comes with a dual-USB charging cable that uses two ports to charge up the battery more quickly. It also comes with an AC adapter if you'd just like to plug it into a wall to charge.

WIRED Great design — a sturdy aluminum case accented with black mesh. Excellent sound, as long as things don't get too wooly. Does your bidding when you wave your hand over the built-in proximity sensor. Can pair two devices to run in stereo. Great battery life with multiple charging options.

TIRED Distorts more easily than expected. Heavier and larger than a Jambox. Gesture-based "Smart Sensor" takes some practice.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Hidden Radio

In its dormant state, the Hidden Radio ($150) looks like one of those fancy candles you pick up at Crate & Barrel to decorate your mantlepiece at Christmas. But give it a gentle twist, and the top telescopes upward to reveal a speaker grille at the base. A tiny multi-colored LED springs to life, indicating it's ready to rock (white), or that it's looking for a Bluetooth dance partner (blue). To change the volume during playback, just twist the speaker. To turn it all the way up, twist it all the way up. To turn it down, twist it down. Twist it shut, and it sleeps.

It's a brilliant design, no question. And it was a big hit on Kickstarter last year. Unfortunately, the sound is downright poor. It's muffled and muddy — even with the lid all the way up — with little detail or natural character. Compared to other options in the $150 price range, it's not something I'd recommend. Also, it's a reluctant Bluetooth participant — the company sent us two Hidden radios, and both took multiple attempts to pair to a few different devices, including an iPhone 4, a Galaxy Nexus, and a brand new Retina-equipped iPod touch. Once they did pair, drop-outs remained an issue.

There's an FM radio built in (hence the name) which you turn on by flipping a switch on the bottom of the unit. But tuning the radio is accomplished via two small buttons on the bottom. After spending 10 minutes trying to find the right station without any visual clues, I felt like the victim of some cruel joke.

What it is good for is amplifying a laptop or an iPad while watching a movie. I found the Hidden did a better job with video dialog than it did with music. Also, it has a lot of stamina. The company claims 15 hours of battery life, and I wasn't ever able to reach that limit, even after a few all-day listening sessions. Still, there are much better speakers for much less money. Skip this one.

WIRED Cute design. Nice battery life, and it charges over USB. That warm and fuzzy Kickstarter glow is included in the box.

TIRED A $150 speaker should sound great, and this one does not. Pairing is harder than a Times Sunday crossword. The twist-to-adjust volume control depends on the rubber foot keeping its grip, which it can only be relied upon to do if you set it on marble, glass, or some other very smooth surface. Radio is a joke.

Rating: 3 out of 10

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

HMDX Jam

There are very few complaints you can levy against a $40 speaker. It's mono, it sounds a little trashy, and the battery only lasts about four hours.

But c'mon — it's forty dollars. There aren't many wireless speakers this cheap, and even the ones that come close to the Jam's price are bigger, uglier, and more difficult to use. The Jam (made by HMDX Audio, a company that's been in the clock/dock game for a while) pairs in a snap, and it sounds good enough to satisfy the ambient noise requirements of a dinner party or a small office. It's not meant for critical listening or loud gatherings, and it doesn't perform as well outdoors as it does on the coffee table. But again — forty bucks!

The design is thoughtful. It's small enough to squeeze into a pocket (roughly 2.5 inches cubed), and it has enough weight to keep it from buzzing around on the table when you play music through it. The speaker fires upward, so directional placement isn't an issue. It also comes in six different colors, all of which are named after flavors of jam. And, maybe afraid the speaker falls too far short of the maximum cute threshold, HMDX has packaged the thing in an little fruit preserves jar.

WIRED A great value. Sounds pretty good for $40. Easy to pair, and there are physical controls for play/pause and volume on the base. Battery charges quickly over USB.

TIRED Four hours of battery isn't great. Neither is the sound. Cheapness all around.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Outdoor Tech Turtle Shell

This bright little speaker box is another product that began its life as a Kickstarter project. Like the Hidden Radio before it, the Outdoor Tech Turtle Shell ($150) puts visual flair at the fore, with an oddly shaped case seemingly devoid of right angles, and a rugged, splash-proof design.

But, similar to the Hidden Radio, pretty only goes so far. I was consistently unimpressed with the quality of the speaker inside the Turtle after testing it in a few different situations indoors and out. It's loud, but kind of honky (for lack of a better word). It doesn't offer much in the way of nuance or detail, instead just providing a lot of upfront brawn and volume. Bass is messy and flabby. The sonic performance isn't nearly as refined as you'd expect from a wireless speaker that costs $150, or even $100.

There's an accessory mount on the bottom, a threaded post-hole like the kind you find on the bottom of a camera. The company also sent a little clamp (the "Turtle Claw") for mounting the speaker to bike handlebars. So mount it I did, and while I was riding around with my phone in my pocket, the speaker kept cutting out. Bluetooth headphones do this sometimes, and it's usually a combination of line-of-sight limitations and atmospheric interference. So I tested it again alongside a pair of Bluetooth headphones, and the Turtle speaker kept cutting out while the headphones did not.

I can't recommend it, except that it's kind of the perfect speaker to take to Burning Man. It would look pretty fresh clamped to your art bike, it's equipped to withstand the dust storms, you won't short out the electronics when you spill your mushroom tea on it, and it's just loud enough to make your crappy techno heard over everyone else's.

WIRED Original design — who says speakers have to be confined to boxes? Weatherproof and rugged. Over eight hours of battery, and it charges over USB. You can mount it to any camera-threaded accessory.

TIRED Sound is aggressive, and not in a good way. Expensive, given the audio quality. Bluetooth problems. Neither teenaged, mutant nor ninja.

Rating: 4 out of 10

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Marley Chant

As the legend goes, back in the late 1960s, Bob Marley was sitting in his tiny, sweltering room behind Coxsone Dodd's recording studio working on songs and tugging on a spliff, and his mind started to drift. He envisioned a day, maybe during his lifetime, maybe after, when he would become a worldwide superstar, and humans of all colors, creeds and social statuses would sing his songs of protest and freedom. These faceless strangers would draw power from his words, and be compelled to take up the fight against Babylon's wicked ways. They would arm themselves with T-shirts bearing his likeness and protect their Jeeps with bumper stickers showing his face next to some of Peter Tosh's lyrics. And of course, these warriors would gain great strength from Bob's line of frothy and delicious energy drinks. Finally, when the chosen hordes reached Mount Zion, they would find their divine reward: a collection of headphones and audio products bearing the Marley name.

So consider this Chant speaker, which is part of the Marley Jammin' collection, the fulfillment of Bob's destiny. It's a $60 Bluetooth speaker with a tropical flavor to the design — a ring of bamboo pokes out from the top of the cloth carrying case (made of a patented canvas-like fabric Marley calls "Rewind") which is stitched with rasta-colored thread. The sound comes out of the single speaker on top, and there's porting in the bottom to provide better bass. The case zips closed, and it has a carabiner for clipping it to your North Face backpack, as well as a little storage pouch on the inside for stowing the charging cable (or, as they call it in Jamaica, "sensimilla").

Sound quality is OK — not great, but not terrible. It has better bass and more volume than other speakers in the $40-to-$60 range, but it performs about the same in terms of clarity and vibrance, which is to say not well. But for $60, it ain't too shabby. The Chant's battery life is also better than its brethren, squeezing off about five or six hours in my tests.

All kidding aside, the Marley audio product line is partially managed by Bob's family, and some of the money flows back to the Marley family's 1Love charity. So judge not, lest ye be judged yourself.

WIRED Of all the cheaper Bluetooth speakers, reggae music sounds best on this one. Construction incorporates eco-friendly materials like canvas and bamboo. Pairs easily, and charges over USB. The carrying case is nice.

Beacon Phoenix

I was surprised when I pulled Beacon Audio's Phoenix speaker up online, because although the thing is no bigger than the $40 HDMX Jam, and significantly smaller than the $60 Marley Chant, it's priced at $100.

That can't be right. Does it really sound that much better? The answer is yeah, sort of. It's a better-sounding speaker than either of those, but it can't compete with the audio quality of the best Bluetooth speakers at the $100 mark, like the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox and the JBL Flip.

The Phoenix's stereo speakers sit on opposite sides of the box and fire away from each other. This creates a level of stereo separation you usually don't find in tiny Bluetooth speakers, though the audio clarity suffers a bit because of it. In order to get a sharp, clear sound out of the Phoenix, you need to twist it so one of the speakers is directly facing you, which of course means you're only getting half the signal. It sounds better if you take three or four big steps back and let the soundwaves bounce around a little bit. I found it nagging that the character changed so much within just a few feet. It does get louder than I expected (about as loud as a Jambox) and it does a very good job of keeping the sound clean and free of distortion while it's running at higher volumes.

Beacon's speaker charges over USB and has the stamina of the Energizer Bunny. I charged it once when I got it, and I didn't have to plug it in again until two weeks later. During those two weeks, I used it every day, listening to tunes in the shower and in the bedroom, as well as a few hours of comparison testing in the office. That's impressive, but the battery life can't trump the sound quality, and other speakers still have it beat.

WIRED Impressive battery life, and it charges over USB. Nice rubbery feel to the speaker, and the controls on top are easy enough to operate. Sound is better than expected, considering the diminutive size. Pairs easily.

TIRED Stereo listening is awkward given the 180-degree axis of the speakers. Music with heavy bass causes it to rattle and move around. Soft-shell carrying case makes it more travel-friendly, but will set you back an extra $20.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

ECOXGEAR EcoXBT

The most outstanding feature of the EcoXBT from ECOXGEAR ($130) is that it is indeed totally waterproof. This makes it ideal for rocking to your tunes outside — at the beach, by the pool, on the river, in the rain, wherever. The EcoXBT can also float, keeping the tunes adrift.

Though to make it truly superior in aquatic environments, it needs two updates. First, it's not self-righting, meaning it can also float with the speakers down. While this might be nice for those hanging out under water, it does nothing for the rest of us who are fond of breathing. Also, if you splash the EcoXBT when the speakers are facing up a few times, the sound will grow muffled as water gathers on the speakers. It needs some sort of self-draining feature since that condition doesn't do anybody any good, except for those who don't like your choice of music.

Speaking of the music, when not being obstructed by water, the sound quality from the pair of full-range speakers is great. It cranks out some decent volume, but nothing that'll make the neighbors call the cops. In fact, at maximum volume, it's just right for the 30-foot reach of the Bluetooth connection.

Large handles on either side makes it easy to grab and hold or to run straps through to secure it to, say, your raft or kayak. There's also a small loop for a carabiner or the like to connect it to a safety line. While I'm a big fan of the serenity of nature and just enjoying the wilderness for what it is and the sounds it produces, it might have been fun to have something like "Ride of the Valkyries" playing while charging into the 20-foot standing waves on my Grand Canyon river trip.

As is common with much of the tech gear in the world, the EcoXBT is totally utilitarian and not at all design savvy — and I suppose this is fine, since it's dressed for the wilderness and not the cocktail lounge. — Cameron Martindell

WIRED Good, full sound. Over 10 hours of battery life in my tests. Very portable and plenty loud. Waterproof and shockproof. Price is nice. Works as a speakerphone. It floats!

TIRED Not very stylish in form or function. Speakerphone is relatively poor, compared to others. Some aquatic design challenges.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Photo: Cameron L. Martindell

Beats Pill

That's the name — The Beats Pill. It doesn't have Dr. Dre's name attached, which is odd for something from the Beats line. But with that distinct red "b" logo and the $200 price tag, there's no mistaking the pedigree.

It's a very small and slim speaker, especially when you consider there are four separate 1-inch drivers lined up inside. And the Pill is loud — indoors and out, our tester was consistently amazed at how loud this little guy could get. Even though it didn't have any problems raising the roof, it did a poor job of shaking the floor. Bass response is virtually non-existent. Seems kind of odd for a device born of the hip-hop generation, yes? There are better-sounding Bluetooth speakers available for under $200.

We'll have a full review of the Beats Pill in an upcoming issue of Wired magazine (written by Bryan Gardiner). And after it hits newsstands, you can read Bryan's review here as well.